Chai Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
A recipe for Chai Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting! These chai-flavored cupcakes are packed with warming spices and covered with a fluffy brown butter frosting.
Servings 12 Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chai Cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) whole milk
- 1 bag black tea or 1 teaspoon loose leaf tea
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons (58 grams) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brown Butter Frosting:
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
- 4 cups (480 grams) powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch ground allspice
- pinch ground nutmeg
- pinch ground cloves
- 3-4 tablespoons (44-60 milliliters) milk
Instructions
To make the Chai Cupcakes:
- Pour the milk into a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
- Once steaming, but not yet at a boil, remove from heat and add the tea bag. Set aside for 5 minutes, then discard the tea bag and allow the milk to cool to room temperature. If using loose leaf tea, strain before using.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line 12 muffin cavities with muffin/cupcake liners or lightly grease with vegetable oil.
- Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until evenly combined and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy.
- Beat in the vegetable oil until completely combined, then the granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, just until mixed in.
- Beat in the vanilla extract, followed by the room temperature chai-infused milk.
- Add the flour mixture, beating just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Transfer the mixture among the 12 prepared liners, filling them about 2/3 full.
- Bake in the preheated oven just until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 16-18 minutes.
- Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
To make the Brown Butter Frosting:
- In a small skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Swirl or lightly stir the butter as it melts, starts to foam, and brown flecks form across the bottom of the pan.
- Once the butter becomes lightly golden and fragrant, immediately remove from heat.
- Pour into a metal mixing bowl (or allow to cool for a few mixtures before pouring into a glass mixing bowl) and cool completely to room temperature.
- Once cooled, beat the brown butter with a whisk attachment or hand mixer until fluffy.
- Beat in the sifted powdered sugar, following by the vanilla extract, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Slowly beat in the milk, one tablespoon at a time, to create a smooth frosting.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a large star tip to pipe over each cooled cupcake or use a small spatula to spread the frosting over each cupcake.
- These Chai Cupcakes are best the day they are assembled. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.